The most expensive colleges in America—really

The absolute priciest four-year college education in the country can be had at ... New York University, according to a new survey.

The analysis, by Business Insider, ranks the all-in cost of attending college—tuition, room and board and required fees.

An earlier analysis, by the Department of Education, ranked NYU 64th among private four-year colleges, but that listing just counted tuition.

NYU is followed closely by Harvey Mudd College, part of California's Claremont Colleges, and Bard College in upstate New York.

The top 20, in descending order of cost, are:

New York University, $61,977

Harvey Mudd College, $61,760

Bard College, $61,446

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, $60,779

Sarah Lawrence College, $60,656

Wesleyan University, $60,214

Dartmouth College, $60,201

University of Chicago, $60,039

Bard College at Simon's Rock, $60,003

Trinity College, $59,860

Johns Hopkins University, $59,802

Fordham College, $59,802

Carnegie Mellon University, $59,632

University of Southern California, $59,615

Occidental College, $59,592

Scripps College, $59,570

Oberlin College, $59,474

Haverford College, $59,446

Pitzer College, $59,416

Northwestern University, $54,389

College education costs have been rising steadily for years, outpacing inflation. Between 1982-1983 and 2012-2013, tuition and fees for a private four–year college education rose 167 percent, and the price tag for a public four–year education climbed 257 percent, according to the College Board.

The unemployment rate for those with a bachelor's degree or higher is just under 4 percent. New college graduates Ryan Boepple of Syracruse University and Brooke Flanagan of Colgate University talk about their time and money invested in college as they face the job market.

Not surprisingly, student loan debt is also a growing problem, particularly now that Congress has allowed the interest rate on student loans to double.

Luckily, Fiske has published its list of colleges that offer the best buy in terms of academics and affordability. The flagship public universities on the list, in no particular order, include the University of Florida, the University of Iowa, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, the University of Oregon and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Affordable is relative, however. The College Board pegged a moderate budget for the 2012-2013 school year at a public university at more than $22,000, and over $43,000 for a private institution.